iStockphoto / Richard McMillin
Visitors to Sea Rim State Park in southeast Texas, just across the state border with Louisiana that’s split by Sabine Pass, were treated to a rare sight on the beach when a large bull alligator was seen chowing down on a big ol’ redfish.
A few things I find particularly interesting about this video is that, on paper, this shouldn’t seem so rare. This is PRIME country to spot large alligators and it’s a region of the country that offers up some of the most consistent redfish fishing in the nation. But alligators are very much freshwater creatures.
They can last a few hours to a few days (max) in saltwater and they also avoid it because of the increased risk of predation from sharks in the Gulf of Mexico or open ocean. Meanwhile, redfish are every bit of a saltwater fish but they can and do survive and thrive in brackish water (mixture of freshwater and saltwater).
The same video is also available on Instagram if that’s preferred over YouTube Shorts:
To expand on my thoughts above, this video shot by @HamFishing on Youtube shows two species that should theoretically both be there but it’s also weird for both of them to be there because that beach is on the Gulf of Mexico.
So it is fascinating to me to see the alligator out there living his best life and chowing down on a redfish when it probably won’t venture out into the Gulf of Mexico after the meal, and instead will retrace his steps and swim back up into the wildlife refuge and lakes/rivers to the North of the beach.
All of this talk of brackish water and saltwater gamefish reminded me of a similar incident a few miles from my house. This occurred at Myakka State Park here in SW Florida where a large alligator was photographed eating a snook.
Just another day here in Florida, right?